Professor Dr Moussa B.H. Youdim

Research Priorities: Neurosciences, pharmacology, neurotransmitter systems, neurological diseases, Parkinson’s disease
Moussa B. H. Youdim is an Iranian-Israeli neuroscientist whose work primarily focuses on the monoamine oxidase enzyme and its role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease. Through his research in this field, he has made a significant contribution to the development of selective inhibitors of this enzyme. Medications used to inhibit monoamine oxidase B have since become an established method of treating Parkinson’s disease. He pioneered the role of iron in brain function, its deficiency or excess. He also pioneered the development of multi-target neuroprotective and neurorestorative drugs for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
The biochemist began investigating the enzyme monoamine oxidase during his PhD studies. He identified the A and B isoforms and researched their role in neuropsychiatric diseases. Building on this, Youdim developed selegiline, a selective irreversible MAO-B inhibitor for treating Parkinson’s disease. By delaying the breakdown of dopamine, it increases the concentration of dopamine in the brain and thereby alleviates the symptoms of the disease.
In 2005, Youdim’s team managed to advance this treatment approach by developing the active substance rasagiline. The scientists also investigated the possible pathogenic role of iron metabolism in neurodegenerative disorders. As early as the turn of the millennium, they used methods of molecular biology, such as proteomics and transcriptomics, in their research, combining them with traditional cell biology.
Since the 1990s, Youdim has been heavily involved in basic pharmacological research in the field of neurosciences and established a pharmacology department at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. He later founded the Eve Topf Center of Excellence for Neurodegenerative Disease Research and has acted as a consultant for several pharmaceutical companies.
Besides Parkinson’s disease, Youdim also conducts research on other neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. Here, his work focuses on the disruption in cholinergic neurotransmission associated with this disease. In his treatment approach, Youdim combines the mode of action of MAO-B inhibitors with an acetylcholine blocker to create a multimodal treatment method that intervenes as early as possible with the pathogenesis of cognitive degeneration found in Alzheimer’s disease.
Moussa B. H. Youdim has inspired many researchers with his work and – with neurodegenerative diseases becoming increasingly prevalent due to our ageing population – he continues to support and encourage the next generation of scientists in order to advance research in this field.